


But Twice As Bright

by FuneralCake



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Best Friends, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Do-Over, Emotionally Challenged Team Seven, F/M, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Romance, Sasuke is Head Over Heels But doesn't get it, Self-Indulgent, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Time Travel, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, they just don't know it yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24211201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuneralCake/pseuds/FuneralCake
Summary: Sasuke wasn't sure if it would work. But it did and here they are. Just him and the dobe and an impossibly bright future panning out in front of them.He has done enough hating for a lifetime, and in this new one he plans to correct all of his mistakes. Now if only they brought their strength back with them. For all their knowledge of what they could be and what's to come, they are still, for all intents and purposes, gennin.They have a long ways to go ahead of them.
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 166
Kudos: 1305
Collections: Extraordinary Naruto FanFics





	1. Again

Sasuke blinks once, twice, and carefully let the go of the breath he was holding in. He looks down to his hands, smaller and softer, without the callouses he developed from years of using a chokuto. His eyes focus on a soft blue blanket draped over his lap, one he had left behind years ago, like he had left behind everything else. Everyone else.

He kinda wishes the blanket was orange. He could use a little orange. Not that he'd ever tell anyone that.

Sasuke wonders when, exactly, in time they are. They could be anywhere, considering how much chakra he loaded into the jutsu. He doesn't bother hiding the smirk on his lips as he thinks about it. As he thinks about twisting and warping time and space to his whims, and using the juubi they'd been running from, tricking it, to power the jutsu for them.

Naruto had looked at him like he'd gone insane, when he asked her to make the seal matrix that would funnel juubi chakra into him. It doesn't make him a jinchuriki, it would dissipate as soon as he used it, but it would be enough to power the jutsu he planned.

And it worked. Showed the dobe for doubting him.

"Oi teme, what are you looking so smug for?" The breath catches in his chest, and he's only had time to get it back to normal too, when he looks up to his window and sees the blot of orange. She's wearing her thrice damned jumpsuit, a hitaiate on her forehead and it he realizes that means they're probably gennin now.

She's an eyesore, all sunshine and burning chakra, and it says something about him that all that orange just makes him relax. He'll chalk it up to Stockholm at this point, but he isn't a Yamanaka so he doesn't need to justify his attachments.

"I told you it'd work," he tells her, shifting around so he's sitting against the wall with his feet stretched across the width of the bed. He pats the space beside him, too comfortable to move. He hasn't had a proper bed in a long while after all.

She looks at him like he has grown a second head, and cautiously pads to the bed to sit beside him. He ignores the pang in his chest, because she has every right to be apprehensive. He has been a shit friend for the majority of their lives. He has a lot of making up to do.

"So what's the plan?" Naruto asked when she finally settled beside him, turning to look at him and despite himself he smiles. The way her eyes widen is probably proof enough that he hasn't done enough of it.

"We need to figure out when we are first," Sasuke said, because they need to know where everything is before they start moving forward.

"I think, we're just before team assignments," Naruto said after a few moments of silence, and Sasuke looks at her imploringly, waiting for her to explain why she particularly thinks so.

"I.., um," he doesn't expect her to blush and splutter like their Hyuga batch mate, and it immediately grabs his attention. He raises an eyebrow and she huffs before mumbling out the rest of her response. "I had Kabuki war paint on, when I woke up. I only used it for the registration photo."

She's ducking down, face red and eyes away and he has the urge to laugh just because she can't see it. He does laugh, anyways, lets out a small amused puff he's sure she would hear, because he's done living under shadows and half remembered clan expectations. Especially when he remembers what kind of nutcase Madara was and what kind of bullshit Zetsu left behind for their clan to follow.

She's looking at him with that confused, awestruck look again. Like she isn't sure of what's happening, and why he's acting like this, and what this would mean long term. And maybe it's easier now, with the relief of a possibly better future panning out in front of him, to laugh. It's her fault, infecting him with that ridiculous optimism of hers, but he doesn't hate her for it.

He is utterly incapable of hating Naruto. And even if he had the capacity to, he'd rather not. He's done enough hating for a lifetime. 

"Oi stop laughing at me!" She glared at him, all puffed up indignation on small, chubby cheeks and he cannot help smile again.

"Alright, we need to plan," he relents, and Naruto quickly sobers.

\-------------

Kakashi was another sucker punch in the gut. Another man he had failed. Someone who was supposed to be his mentor, his sensei, but he had cast aside. Sakura was another example of what he could do at his worst. He doesn't understand how Naruto could forgive him at this point, knowing every mistake he has made, but he is thankful for it.

Even when the idiot had the gall to laugh at him when Sakura introduced herself. The pinkette, having misunderstood, was even harsher when she claimed her dislikes were Naruto. He deeply fights the urge to sigh exasperatedly wondering when she would grow up to be the Sakura they remember.

"My names Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!" She exclaims it with such conviction. Like her name was a promise and a reassurance all in one breath and he could barely fight the urge to smile. "I like ramen, seals and the color orange. I dislike seeing my precious people get hurt, dattebayo! My hobbies include training and eating Ramen! My dream, is to become powerful enough, to protect my precious people! And become Hokage!"

He gives up his losing battle, and allows himself to smile, even when Kakashi calls on him next. "My name's Uchiha Sasuke. I.." he flounders, unsure of where to go and what to say, because he's a worlds away from the child who once made this introduction and he doesn't want to say the same thing. He looks to Naruto, who just nods at him encouragingly, and decides to just fuck it and tell the truth. "I like tomatoes and would like to learn kenjutsu in the near future. I dislike fangirls. My hobbies are training but I would like to look for other hobbies too. My dream, is to bring justice to my clan."

There. Truthful, probably encouraging for Kakashi's profiling of him and hopefully would deter Sakura's fangirling some. He isn't feeling particularly optimistic about it, but it might help. He thinks for a split second, before deciding to hell with it and that he might as well. "Oh, and I like Naruto."

"O..Oi, Sasuke does that really have to be a part of your introduction dattebayo?!" There's alarm in her tone, probably from the way Sakura has changed from deflated to full on glaring at her, and some pleased embarrassment that might be because this is one of the times he has acknowledged them. And their... bond.

"Hn." He takes some pleasure in the tick mark that forms on Naruto's face, and realizes why Kakashi absolutely enjoys being an asshole. She continues glaring, utterly unimpressed.

He smirks unabashedly at her, a clear 'whatcha gonna do about it?' challenge that has her narrowing her eyes with promises of retribution. She could be so entertaining like this. Why had he been such a dick before again?

Ah right. Danzo.

"Maa, while I'm glad some of you seem to be getting along, now isn't the time for flirting." That made Sasuke's head turn towards Kakashi so fast he feels his neck vertebra protest. He hears both Sakura and Naruto loudly denying it and wonders not for the first time why he has been roped into the circus act that was their team. Then again he was just as much of a head-case, so it's probably for the best. No one well adjusted could have lasted team seven.

Thinking back, they were all sorts of fucked up actually. Naruto had abandonment issues a mile wide, which he probably hadn't helped with, and tended to latch on to any form of affection like an abandoned puppy. Or abandoned fox kit, really.

Sakura had pushed her anger issues so far back, falling into what she was taught a lady should be like, that it evolved into a second personality. One that got warped by her bizarre chakra control into something like an ability that actually prevented most mind jutsu from taking. Which was impressive in a horrifying kinda way.

Sasuke was, well... He probably shouldn't have been left to his own devices after their clan massacre. He probably shouldn't have been allowed to stay home, in a place full of ghosts and after images of blood stains and red moons. And while he has gone a long way from then, had gotten his closure after killing each and everyone that was a part of his clan massacre, he knew how bad of a place he had been as a kid.

Kakashi was Kakashi, and that was all he had to say in that matter.

Even Sai and Yamato had been pieces of work, as temporary as they were. Apparently you needed a certain level of mental (in)stability to be qualified for team seven. It was like that for all past iterations of their team too. All the way back to Tobirama's team seven with Hiruzen Sarutobi and fucking Danzo.

He listens with half an ear as Kakashi tells them about the upcoming test. His ridiculous bell test, which was apparently as much of a team seven tradition as the mental fuck-uppery requirements. He heard that Jiraiya had been the one tied to the post during their own bell test with the Sandaime. Remembers Kakashi saying that Obito got that during their turn. He wonders who got tied up to the post during the sandaime's own gennin test and fights back a bout of hysterical laughter.

Judging by Naruto's curious/suspicious gaze, he probably isn't as successful as he thinks at covering up the amusement in his face.

"What got you so amused earlier, teme," Naruto asked when they were making their way to the training grounds. Naruto had asked Sakura if she wanted to train, but had turned down too quickly that she couldn't come up with an excuse to join back when she found out that Sasuke was going to join.

Maybe he's being unfair to their pink teammate, but he really finds her unbearable during this time, and couldn't feel too guilty about ditching here. Besides, they really do need to train. He still kept overshooting at times and he was sure his blonde was doing no better.

The dobe would probably acclimatise faster though. Cheating with the power of a hundred ramen-fuelled clones.

"I was thinking of the bell test," he admitted when he could see that she was losing her patience. "You know how every team seven did the bell test right?" She nods but her face is still scrunched up in confusion and he smirks a bit more.

"Can you imagine Danzo tied up to the post?"

How can a shinobi laugh like that? Especially someone like Naruto, who had only known hatred for much of her life. He doesn't know how she could laugh so fully, so happily but she does and it makes him smile from mere proximity. If the sun could ever come down to earth and take human form, it would be her.

"Dobe, we still need to train," he reminds her and after a moment's hesitation, grabs her hand and drags her still laughing form to the training grounds. "Not all of us have kage bunshin cheats you know."

"What's that supposed to mean!" she exclaims so loudly that he hears birds squawk and fly away from them. She's puffing up all indignant and moves faster than him just so she's the one pulling.

She doesn't let go of his hand though, which is nice. It isn't the last time that he wonders why he left this behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right! For people who've read my other fic[With Eyes Sealed Shut](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24114358), this one has a very, very different feel to it.
> 
> My other fic was basically a trial run for this one. This one focuses a bit more on fluff because, well, I want to?
> 
> I need a bit more Sarcastic-Sasuke in my life so here it is.
> 
> Tell me what you think?


	2. Falling Into Step

"We're going to do something about your clothes," Sasuke tells her after their training session. They've yet to collect themselves from where they collapsed on the grassy field and he watches her puff up like a particularly angry puppy.

"Oi, what's wrong with orange?!" She actually sits up, looming over him and glaring in defense of her precious orange. Sasuke doesn't even bother to hide rolling his eyes. As if he'd ever make her get rid of the color. It was practically _her_ color at this point.

"Nothing's wrong with the orange, Dobe. It's everything else that's the problem." Sasuke is self aware enough to admit that he's maybe, kinda a little vain. If he's going to be seen with her, and he will be, plans to be for as long as he could, then the jumpsuit needs to go. He's kind enough not to burn it, because he knows how much she loves the jumpsuit, but it's hideous and she could look so much better and he doesn't understand why she wears it.

Except maybe he does, because the thing was a gift from the hokage, and she has never had anyone take her clothes shopping before. Nor has she been allowed into any of the village stores actually, because people in this era are idiots and it took her beating down a self made god who flattened the village in one move for them to see it.

And knowing the idiot, she'd crumple the first time they go walking out in the streets and she sees the glares.

"Well, what do you think should I wear then, dattebayo?" She asked, calming down. There's genuine curiostiy there, and a bit of excitement because these were things they hadn't had the chance to do in their past life. Utterly domestic, teammate/best friend things that he had been too much of a stuck up to ever participate on. He has a lot to make up for, and making their future hokage presentable was a small part of it.

He sits up and looks at her carefully, then looks down at his own clothes and thinks that he really should get new clothes too. He really shouldn't be going around with the Uchiha clan crest embalzoned across his back. That's like, asking to be kidnapped and while it worked out kind of fine the first time around, there's no need to poke fate with a dare like that.

"Maybe some kind of Kimono top?" He offers, and she looks at him consideringly. "Orange, maybe with a black obi? That way you could grow with it and won't need to keep changing while you grow, unless you want to change styles. Maybe pair it with black leggings and black shinobi sandals."

"Do you, actually enjoy planning outfits Sasuke?" The use of his name startles him more than the seriousness of the question, and it makes him pause and think about it.

"Not always? And not just for everyone. I won't want to do it for a living or something but, I guess I do," he admits after a while.

"Your eyes give you perfect recall right?" Naruto asked with a considering frown, and when he affirms, a wide grin spreads on her face that usually means she's plotting something.

"What exactly are you planning?" He asked, eyes narrowing even as she beams at him. He didn't know it was possible but she looks brighter than ever. She may be crap at lying but she knows exactly what to do to get out of questioning and he huffs, deciding to drop the matter.

"Let's go," he decides, getting up and after a split second of deliberation, offers his hand down to her still sitting form. She smiles so sunnily at him, all previous apprehension gone. She has taken his obvious shows of affection in stride, apparently already forgiving and forgetting his past distance.

She should really hate him more, but he wont look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially when she takes his hand and lets him pull her up off the ground. Even more so when she refuses to let go and he ends up pulling her back into the village.

She does deflate a little, when the glares set in, except he glares back at the civillians and they all turn away. They're apparently unsure of how to deal with this situation, given the obnoxious lengths they go to earn Sasuke's approval, a sharp polar opposite of how they treat his best friend who deserved it more than he ever did.

Morons.

"Dobe have you even had ramen since we came back?" He knows he'd regret those words later, but he couldn't stand seeing her so downtrodden and he knows one thing that would perk her back up. He knows it works when she turns to look at him with wide, hopefull eyes. There aren't many people he knew who could say no to those eyes, and he sure as hell aren't one of them so of course he caves. "We can have ramen later after we finish looking for clothes."

Her answering smile was worth having to stomach the salty, oily concoction she loves so much. There isn't much he wouldn't do for this idiot at this point. Eating ramen is the least of them.

\-------------

Sasuke bolts awake, chakra roiling and chest heaving while he tries to reorient himself. There's a dull throb at the back of his eyes and a certain clarity to everything around him that tells him his mangekyou is active and eating through his chakra. He slowly siphons chakra away from his eyes, feeling it spin down from the eternal mangekyou to it's familiar three tomoes, before blotting down to Uchiha black and the world looks darker.

He thinks back to his dream. To lighting crackling in his hand and the sound of bone breaking. When he looked up, he saw Naruto, sixteen and still smiling at him trustingly, even as blood gushes down her mouth. He blinked and she had changed, into younger Naruto, so small and young and still the same wide trusting smile before her eyes dulled.

He's getting dressed and leaping out of the window before he has the time to think about it, leaping out onto the trees and piling into a half forgotten appartment. He hadn't even known where he was going, acting on autopilot and honing in on the familiar burning star of chakra that was his teammate.

He was already on her windowsill, when it occurs to him that maybe sneaking into her house at the dead of the night wasn't the best idea, except apparently she's awake too. She looked really pale, almost trembling as she sat against the headboard.

She had a nightmare too, it occurs to Sasuke and he steels himself before letting himself in.

"Naruto?" He asks as gently as he could manage, trying to coax her to look up, from behind the curtain of her hair and the cage of her arms. She lifts her head up and there are tears tracking down her cheeks that makes a different kind of anger take root in his chest. She shouldn't be crying.

He abandons all pretense of nonchalance and moves to sit by her side, wrapping a pale arm around her. He feels her lean into him, though she's still shaking with quiet sobs. He coaxes her to lean fully into him instead, and runs gentle fingers through her hair till she finally calms.

"I failed, Sasuke. Everyone died. I hadn't," her voice trembles and she chokes on her words. The little hand on his chest grips his shirt and he tightens his arms around her. "I hadn't been enough."

And, no. She shouldn't think like that. She's the last person who should think that, because for all that people lauded Sasuke as the genius in their batch, it was Naruto who had surpassed everyone's expectations and gone on to be something great. Unlike Sasuke.

"You wouldn't," he said. He isn't good at peptalks, reformed or not. He isn't like Naruto, who could talk down every villain archetype she meets and convince them to become her _friend._ But for her, he will try. He has to.

"You wouldn't fail, Naruto. You won't let that happen," he said because that's the truth. There is no one more tenacious, or bullheaded as Naruto and she would rewrite space and time over and over again to succeed. There's no other option but success.

She simply hugs him tighter, before dragging him down to bed with her and promptly uses him as a pillow or a particularly stiff teddy bear. She never asks him why he's there, probably doesn't need to considering how attuned she is with Sasuke, but she probably knows he needs company as much as she does.

\------------

They arrive at training ground three together the next day, an hour and a half late but early enough that they were there before Kakashi. Sakura was fuming, apparently having been there an hour early at the crack of dawn but Sasuke had enjoyed lazing with Naruto too much to be bothered to get up when he knew Kakashi was going to be late. He had precious little in the way of creature comforts, even more so during the war and he would take what he had spent a lifetime denying himself of. That and the fact that Naruto was apparently helpless in the kitchen. He had enjoyed teaching her how to cook a simple breakfast about as much as he enjoyed sharing the quiet meal with her after.

"You're late!" Sakura growled at Naruto as soon as they were in shouting distance, entirely ignoring the fact that he was late too. How does he go about culling that? Maybe he should speak up? If she knew they were together, she'd have no choice but to get mad at him too right? It would be a good first step to smashing the pedestal she build him to pieces, showing her his faults.

"That was my fault," he decides to speak up and holds back a sigh as she flushes and turns to him, apparently unsure of how to proceed. "We had breakfast together." There. He was pushing forward his blatant disregard of Kakashi's rules and the fact that he was the one who got Naruto into trouble. She should get mad at them right?

Except, she crumpled, eyes tearing up and his brows scrounch up in confusion. When he looks at Naruto, she's just as confused as he is and they turn to look at Sakura together. She had seen their interaction of course. Kind of hard to miss considering they were practically in front of her, and she crumples even farther.

What had he done?

It was times like this that he realizes how emotionally stunted they all were compared to Sakura. Probably because she was the only one who grew up with parents. Or that she grew up with peers? He isn't sure exactly, but all he knows is he's fucked up. Apparently. Maybe.

"Sakura-chan..," Naruto tries to reach towards her with a hand, probably with the intention of putting it on her shoulder, except she slaps it away. Or tries to. Sasuke had reacted instinctively, grabbing her wrist before she could hit Naruto. He had spent years protecting her, and catching a blow before it lands is instinctive. It was apparently the wrong thing to do however, because she pulls her hand away from him like she'd been burnt, and ends up running away into the woods in tears.

"What happened?" He finally asked Naruto, who looked at the direction their crying teammate had taken to with about as much comprehension as he had. Which was none at all.

"I.., have no idea," Naruto said though she didn't particularly need to. "What should we.. should we go after her dattebayo?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yosh!!!  
> I give more fluff?
> 
> Alsooo, I did a sketch of what Sasuke-approved outfit Naruto would be wearing soo... Whatcha think?
> 
> .


	3. Ringing

Kakashi had come an hour later than usual, suspiciously after Sakura had returned which probably meant he'd been observing them before and promptly stayed away in the face of preteen drama which, Sasuke completely understood. It's been four hours and he was still just as clueless about what upset the girl. Naruto is too, and he isn't sure if Kakashi understood it any better.

Still, he explains the bell test to them, explains the two bell trick and Sasuke is even more surprised when Sakura eyes him and Naruto scornfully. While she probably wouldn't be fangirling anymore, he hadn't meant to hurt her. He had seen the way Naruto deflated afterwards, and while he had done his best to distract her after, he knew she'd want to fix whatever it is that upset their teammate.

When Kakashi signals go, he jumps into the trees and is aware of Naruto following right after. He can just vaguely sense where Sakura is, and when he switches direction to look for her, the blonde follows.

"We'll need to work together to beat him, dattebayo!" Naruto whisper shouts at their other teammate, who only glares at them and continues tree jumping in an effort to lose them.

"I don't need your help! Either of you!" she growls at them and it's too loud that Sasuke has no choice but to leap away with Naruto when he senses their sensei's chakra coming in close. The gennin Sakura he knew would have jumped at the opportunity to work with him.

He had thought he had been weaning her off of her less ideal habits slowly. Apparently whatever he had done was reason enough for her to lash out. He just hoped they didn't fail because of it.

Distantly, he heard Sakura's shriek and fought the urge to bang his head somewhere.

He looks at Naruto, who had been staring at where the yell came from, but apparently had a sixth sense for Sasuke because she turns to look right back at him with a 'what now?' expression on her face. He thinks of what they have in their arsenal, of what they could actually do given their physical limitations and what would avoid suspicion, but then decided that actually gaining the bells was overkill. They just needed to work together.

"Clone?" He offered, and her brows scrunched up in thought.

"You could," she mimes a grand fireball, and he nods. "I could amp it and you could line it." He understands exactly what she's planning, and he wonders if they'd be able to pull it off.

Naruto wordlessly makes two, one of which henge into Sasuke. Clone-Sasuke and their last Clone-Naruto jump into the clearing and start setting up a very obvious trap, drawing Kakashi over and letting him catch them. They engage in a taijutsu battle, until clone Sasuke pops and Sasuke takes that as his cue.

He blows a grand fireball, and the Naruto clone leaps back to blow a great breakthrough that merge in a wind-fire conflagration that Kakashi has to shunshin away from. Sasuke is already leaping away while Naruto clone engages Kakashi in taijutsu, only to pop again. Sasuke launches a kunai through the cloud of smoke and kakashi sidesteps it, before the real Naruto kawarimis with the kunai and reaches for the bells. They jingle, when her fingers brush them, except the alarm clock rings and Kakashi leaps away.

It was Sakura, this time, who was tied up to the post while Naruto and Sasuke are seated on the ground.

"Good job Sasuke, Naruto, coordinating your attacks like that. Had you been a bit quicker with that kawarimi Naruto, you might actually have gotten the bells," Kakashi praised and Sasuke allows himself a small smile. He may be an adult now, may have memoried of being leagues stronger, but there's still something satisfying about Kakashi telling them they've done well. Naruto seems to agree because she's smiling just as brightly.

Then he's dressing down Sakura and explaining the point of the exercise. Sasuke sighs, cursing his gennin level body. He needs to get faster. What good is the knowledge that you'd be S-rank someday, if you're too late by the time you get there?

"Stop overthinking bastard," Naruto snaps him out of his thoughts, shoving a bento under his nose that he accepts with a grateful nod. Apparently Kakashi's gone.

He watched as Naruto snaps her chopsticks in half and pries her bento box open with a grumpiness that meant she's probably just as troubled as he was. "You're thinking it too," he accuses and she just huffs. It's practically confirmation at this point.

He sighs, before picking up a piece of sushi and placing it in front of Sakura's mouth. She was looking at the two of them with that same expression earlier that he really can't place. Apparently his people skills was limited to Naruto, and he's still as clueless.

"You need to eat, Sakura-chan," Naruto tells her because she's yet to take the offered bite. "We'll need you at full strength for the next test." He almost laughs at that, because Naruto technically wasn't lying. Since when had she gotten so skilled with half truths?

Probably when he was off cavorting with questionable nuke nin while hunting his stupid, martyr of a brother. He probably needs to do something about that soon. Preferably before Itachi irreparably damages himself via suspicious cocktail of chemicals and drugs to keep his body going.

Sakura eventually decides they're right and eats, and Kakashi arrives in time that he doesn't even have to offer a second one which was a relief. His people skills were limited at best and he's had his fair share of dealing with emotional preteens today. He's done.

As expected Kakashi passes them.

\---------------

"Dobe, we're picking up food for your apartment," Sasuke declares as soon as Kakashi is gone. Sakura takes one look at them, before giving a defeated sigh. She doesn't say anything, just turns around and leaves. Still, she hadn't bothered to ask him for a date for once, and she's stopped glaring at Naruto so Sasuke counts it as a win.

"Why?" Naruto asked, brows scrunched with confusion and he wonders if she even remembers that all that's left in her kitchen was instant ramen. Sasuke had thrown out most of what had been left in her fridge that morning, having deemed them unfit for consumption.

"You need to eat healthy. So I'm teaching you to make something else tonight," he said. He doesn't say he's lonely. That he's afraid of more nightmares if he came home to a quiet house, but apparently he doesn't need to because she slips her small hand in his and squeezes it for comfort.

Of course she would understand. She has the same nightmares too.

It wasn't till later, when he intervenes as Naruto goes to pay for their groceries that he realizes why young Naruto lived off of instant ramen. He looks at the quoted cost, and raises an eyebrow at the offending grocer who quickly corrects it to something nearer what he's used to paying.

"I'll do your groceries from now on," Sasuke declares as they're walking home, and Naruto's sad, thankful smile is something he holds close to his heart. She might not have understood when she was younger, might have thought it normal but she gets it now.

He honestly doesn't know how she could keep loving this village.

That night they sleep side by side again, relishing in the comfort of warmth, familiar chakra and relative peace. It's the most peaceful sleep Sasuke's had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It starts picking up after this!
> 
> I didn't want to make a timetravel fic where they bring their future abilities with them I guess? It's why they haven't solved everything at the drop of the hat. Sasuke's back to his chakra levels and Naruto's seal is locked again so all they have working for them is their knowledge and what character development they've had at this point!
> 
> So yeah! I hope you guys liked this.


	4. Cursed

It was the first time he'd gone home after practice instead of staying over at Naruto's. He would have prefered to stay with her but even he could only put off his house chores for so long before they piled up. That and he really needed to do laundry. And while he would have had the time to do it tomorrow, seeing as it was their first day off as gennin, he'd much rather spend the day with Naruto instead.

So here he was, staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night, feeling cold and so very alone because she's spoiled him and now he doesn't know what to do without his idiot by his side. He considers getting up, and running off to her apartment. She probably wouldn't mind him sneaking in again. And he would, except there's an all too familliar roiling ball of chakra nearbye and it's headed his way.

He fights a grin even as he hears his bedroom window being pried open, and closes his eyes. He hears muffled footsteps settling by his bedside, and feels her leaning over to look at him.

She shrieks when he opens his eyes.

He's still snickering when she's finally laid beside him, wrapped in the protective curl of his arms. He feels her poking his ribs and it just makes him snicker harder again.

"Shut up!" she growls and after a while, his laughter subsides. He looks at her, and sees her face soften. She looks so vulnerable as she curls up next to him, and he smiles. "I'm sorry I broke in. I just, couldn't stand how silent my appartment was."

"I'm glad you did," Sasuke admits because he's far past the point of denying what he's feeling, and she could read him anyways. She just smiles in response, before squirming a bit more to get comfortable. Hesitantly, she takes one of the arms she always tucks to her chest, and gingerly wraps it around his waist. She looks at him, like she's asking if it's okay.

For all that Naruto is a tactile person, she has always been so skittish when initiating physical affection. It comes from being both touch starved and denied even the barest of human contact so harshly while she was growing up. She's even more skittish with Sasuke nowadays. Always waiting for him to act first and establish just what she could get away with. She's so afraid of overstepping what remnants of their bond she thinks is left. She's so afraid of misstepping, worried that she'd push him away again.

He just pulls her closer, thinking of a lifetime of mistakes to make up for, and burries his nose in her hair. She squeezes the arm she has around him, looking up at him with wide, terrified eyes because of course she doesn't get it.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke finally allows those words to pass from his lips. He says it quietly, the words too heavy and alien on his tongue. But he owes it to her. He owes her so much more than these quiet words he barely managed to drag out of his chest. He hates owing up to his mistakes but if there was anyone he'd ever apologize to, it's her.

"Don't leave me behind again?" She asked after a while, understanding exactly what he meant.

"It's the promise of a lifetime." The words are quieter on his lips, but no less sincere. He almost panics when he sees tears gathering in her eyes before she buries her face into the crook of his neck and hugs him tighter. She doesn't ask him to stay in Konoha, he realizes. Just that, if he ever does leave, he should take her with him.

It makes something in his chest ache. Something he doesn't quite understand, even when it's a nice kind of ache, because Naruto asked him not to leave her behind. Naruto would chose him, over Konoha if he asked, and he knew how much Naruto loved Konoha. It made him swallow thickly, vowing he would never make her choose just for that.

\------------

Sasuke looks blankly at the items in the bag. Naruto had shoved it in his arms, and is currently looking at him expectantly, a wide beaming smile on her face. He carefull pulls out each item, setting them onto Naruto's dining table after inspection.

A sketch pad, a set of charcoal pencils, a standard mechanical pencil, some graphite, colored pencils and a kneaded eraser. He wonders how much she's spent on the set, and what gave her the idea in the first place. When he turns to look at her, searching for an answer, she starts babbling.

"I remembered you telling Kakashi sensei that you were looking for other hobbies, dattebayo," and here she scratches the back of her neck, her expression slowly melting into uncertainty. "And then we had that conversation about outfits. And you told me the sharinggan let you have perfect recall right? So, I thought you might want to try drawing, dattebayo. It could be scenes you want to remember, or stuff you think up. I think you'd be amazing at it.. if.. you want to."

She had trailed off looking nervous and unsure but Sasuke's too focused on that weird emotion on his chest again. It makes him feel warm, even when there's a tightness in his chest and a difficulty to swallow that has him confused. He decides to ignore it, because Naruto's starting to look worried by how quiet he was, and starts carefully flipping through the sketchpad and inspecting the pencils.

"Thank you," he offers her quietly, and her smile is back to blinding. She really is so thoughtful.

They stay quiet for the rest of the afternoon, side by side on the couch while Naruto's doodling on her seal notebook and Sasuke's attempting to figure out the art of drawing.

It isn't as easy as it looks. Perfect recall might help when you actually know how to put the image into paper but is it was, he's left with two dimensional outlines made with shaky hand strokes. That and he keeps confusing the images in the image he wanted to print, with how his mind remembers the item. It ends up distorted, and uneven and he hasn't even begun coloring yet.

The strokes, he figured would even out with time and practice. He just needs a bit more muscle memoru. The technique however, he could either blunder through and hope he gets it right or he could probably look for books on the subject in the library.

He steals a glance at Naruto, who had her brows scrunched up in concentration and decides that he'll look for a reference book. He wants her to see that he's taken her suggestion seriously. That and now that she's pointed it out, he really wants to try drawing. It seemed, fun.

As it was, he's just doodling the randomest shapes and items on a page to get some semblance of muscle memory and control. He'll just have to make a portrait of Naruto some other day.

\-----------------

Naruto growls in frustration, picking herself up off the ground from where she'd fallen at the influx of clone memories. It was such an unfair cheat, Sasuke thinks. Specially for a seal mistress because it meant she had test subjects that could tell her where she went wrong without the risk of actual physical danger.

That said, she had spent a majority of her past lifetime trying to figure out the secrets of the hiraishin and while she isn't anywhere close, something as pesky as timetravel wouldn't be stopping her.

Sasuke had placed himself just to the side, away from most potential explosions and nearer to the village where he'd be able to intercept anyone coming to them first.

He had a smoothened piece of wood in his hand, the kind that's usually used for sword training, and is currently trying to reteach his body the things his muscles have forgotten. The rest of the clearing was occupied by two Naruto duking it out in a taijutsu spar for the very same purpose.

After this he will have to start the exhausting process of repeatedly casting jutsu till he's near depleted to coax his coils to start producing chakra more. Some of them didn't have a mountain sized ball of chakra in their gut, or came from a clan with innate chakra reserves to contain said mountain sized ball of chakra, and if he ever wanted to battle Obito and make sure Madara never came back from the dead, he'd need to be able to produce more than just Susanoo's hand before passing out from chakra exhaustion.

He wasn't even sure if it would be a complete hand.

"Maa, that's a rather interesting seal you got there Naruto-chan." Sasuke startles. Badly. And his eyes twist into the mangekyou as he turns to look at Kakashi, cursed flames leaping out on instinct. It's Kakashi's reflexes that save him, allowing him to sidestep but the damage is done. 

He cursed himself for the oversight, annoyed that he's gotten so used to registering the man's chakra as ally and family and sensei that the copy nin didn't even register, focused as he was on his chakra reserves while doing kata.

"It seems we need to talk," Kakashi's voice is colder now, booking no arguments and Sasuke could see that his own sharinggan are open. He could hear Naruto sighing resignedly and wonders how mad she'd be later when this is over.

Sasuke decides to ignore them for now, turning to the black fire merrily eating away at the grassy field and he begins the taxing process of absorbing Amaterasu back. He cursed himself some more with how instinctive it was to rely on enton when startled.

As he puts out the curse fire, he listens to Naruto's remaining clones pop one by one. When he finishes, he trains his bleeding eyes at Kakashi who has finally hidden his sharinggan eyes. He's probably done scanning them for henge or genjutsu and he snorts but lets his eyes bleed back into tomoes then back to black. "We best do that at home, sensei," Sasuke finally said. "We have privacy seals."

By home he means Naruto's apartment of course. They had just managed to secure the seals that morning, aware that they'll need to bring allies into the fold soon but he hadn't anticipated it to be this soon.

As they make it back to said apartment, Sasuke remains tense and hyper aware the entire time, unwilling to let another possible threat or complication pass him. He wonders how they'll be able to convince Kakashi of their story if he doesn't believe them.

When they finally pile into Naruto's living room, she quickly pushes chakra into the seals they had just inked. They light up blue with her chakra, one by one until the entire array is powered up, before the color changes to a golden-orange. They hover for a moment before they fade away and the air around them hums with ambient power.

"Now talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anything else, I would like to thank several people for fanart!!! 
> 
> First, the lovely [ Amaru_Katari ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaru_Katari/pseuds/Amaru_Katari) who made [ this ](https://awesome-scorpion-snake.tumblr.com/post/618579208830140416/a-fanart-of-a-fanfic-a-fanception-yeah-i-will) piece of art! 
> 
> You could check her out on IG [ @herakylar ](https://instagram.com/herakylar?igshid=188r8a0al7yjr), and on tumblr [ @awesome-scorpion-snake ](http://awesome-scorpion-snake.tumblr.com). 
> 
> The second one, is actually just here on Ao3 but for some reason isn't popping out at the end of this fic like it should. [ This ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24349411) breathtaking piece of art was gifted to me a by [ EmInArEvOl ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmInArEvOl/pseuds/EmInArEvOl), and you guys should really check it out!
> 
> Now, about how laaate this upload is. Weeell, my laptop charger broke. And I've yet to replace it because of quarantine. Sooo it took a lot of effort to recover my files there, before I had to edit stuff on my phone. So yeah, I'm sorry.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it!


	5. Clueless

Sasuke looked at Naruto with wide eyes. She looks at him with such a deadpanned expression he would have laughed at any other time. Instead he just tries for pleading puppy eyes and hopes she understands that he'd be crap at explanations. Of course, given that she's Naruto, she understands.

With a huff, she sits down the couch and begins the story of their past. In about five minutes, their teacher is sagging into the chair in front of them. Sasuke keeps stubbornly standing behind Nartuo, behind the only person he would willingly follow, because he needs to be watching the jounin for this.

When she finishes the tale, Kakashi looks shaken. There is guilt and terror in his eyes. He's looking pale and a little like he might throw up but that was to be expected considering Obito. Sasuke wouldn't know what he'd do if he'd gotten Naruto killed, only to find out his actions burnt her light out and twisted her beyond control later. Just the thought of Obito's crazed, hateful expression on her face makes something painful and heavy settle on his chest.

For all the pain and horror though, there is optimism in Kakashi's expression. A thin shred of hope because they're back. Because they know what's going on and they'd be able to plan. That kind on optimism isn't intrinsic in the copy nin. Sasuke knows because the same could be said for him. But Naruto has this ability to inspire hope. To get people to follow her, even when she doesn't know it.

He looks at Kakashi's eyes, both wide open for this conversation, and couldn't find a trace of disbelief in them. He counts it as a win.

They wouldn't need to silence him after all.

"Sasuke!," Naruto's exclamation is equal parts scandalized and exasperated, because of course he chose to look at him that exact moment and she knows what he's thinking just by looking at him. He hopes he could convey how apologetic he feels with his eyes alone, and she sees it but there's still some reproach there. Sighing, he decides to move to the kitchen and busies himself with preparing tea while Kakashi's busy thinking. As apology for his errant thoughts, he decides to pour each of them a cup before he sits beside her on the couch. When Naruto's still frowning at him, he frowns back but pours cream and sugar into her tea the way he knows she likes.

She smiles in thanks and turns to look back at Kakashi, thankfully sparing him from her annoyed glare.

"So I'm guessing you were married?" Naruto spits out the tea he so carefully prepared, and Sasuke glares at Kakashi who gives them an eye smile. He knows that this, whatever this is, was a safer topic to latch on to while the jounin processes all the information. "In a relationship then?" He offers it like him being with Naruto was the only option and he exchanges confused looks with the blonde. The teasing grin on Kakashi's face falls down with something close to exasperated disbelief that just confuses him even more.

"What?" Sasuke asked defensively.

"You don't even notice it do you?" Kakashi just sighs, leaning back into the chair. "Did you know why Sakura got mad at you two before the bell test?"

"So you _were_ watching us! " Naruto exclaims to which Sasuke rolls his eyes because seriously? They already knew that. "Shut up teme, it's nice to have confirmation."

"I'm guessing you don't," Kakashi surmizes though there's thoughtfulness in his eyes while he was looking at them and their interactions. "She found out you had breakfast together. And then saw you do that thing you do, where you don't even need words to communicate." Kakashi's explanation just confused Sasuke further, but apparently Naruto was getting something because her eyes were widening and her cheeks were turning pink. Why was she embarassed?

"Can someone please explain it to the socially stunted orphan?" Sasuke grunts, glaring at Naruto who glares right back.

"We're all socially stunted orphans, dattebayo," she replies which, fair point. "And what sensei was saying is, that Sakura-chan thought we were dating." Her voice trails off on the last part but Sasuke barely notices because his brain had stopped functioning and dribbled out of his ears apparently.

"How old were you two again?" Kakashi asked, eyes narrow and judging and Sasuke very much wants to set him on fire.

"No amaterasu inside my very flamable house teme," Naruto growls at him because of course she knows when he's leaning towards his more pyromanic inclinations. He hn's at her, before he turns towards Kakashi and settles for narrowed eyes. The jounin had the gall to give him an infuriating eye smile as if he hadn't been threatening the man with cursed fire. "And to answer your question sensei, the teme and I were eighteen."

"Eighteen, and you've never dated? Either of you? Not other people, and not each other?" Sasuke snorts because the number of people he wants to spend time with could be counter in one hand and dating Sakura was about as appealing as dating Kakashi. Which, no. He turns to look at Naruto though, who was apparently deep in thought, and all of a sudden his expression closes off. It has never crossed his mind before, but all of a sudden he wonders. _Had Naruto been dating anyone before the war began?_

"We were at war, dattebayo," Naruto said softly. "And before that well, I was too busy chasing this bastard and trying to get him home." There's something vulnerable in her expression, that Sasuke hates and decides to try and get rid of it the only way he knew. By annoying her.

"I was obsessed with killing Itachi, and then when I figured out Danzo and the third ordered the Uchiha massacre, I was too busy killing Danzo. Then, well, I was too busy trying not to let this idiot get killed." He hears her indignant protest but she's grinning again. Good. She should always be smiling.

"So let me get this straight," Kakashi said slowly like he was taking to children, which was probably apt considering who he's talking to. Doesn't mean he likes it though. There was condescension, then there was Kakashi-level, 'You're a moron and I'm talking to you like you're a brain-damaged five year old,' condescension that he had perfected in his years spent as a genius amongst common folk. "You spent how many years, at first as rivals trying to outdo each other, then with Naruto chasing you, then with you protecting her, and not once has it occured to you that you were maybe feeling something more than just friends?"

Is he... getting at what Sasuke thinks he's getting at? Which of course, he might not always be vocal about it but she should know by now. The dobe has beaten it into his head at this point. He just, doesn't say it out loud. But maybe she deserves that.

"We're.. best friends?" Sasuke admits, and it sounds so tentative but he really isn't. It wouldn't have even left his lips if he was anything but sure. He wonders if he should say it again, with a bit more resolve, except somehow it's enough. At least it is for her, judging by how brightly she's smiling. She's beaming at him like he hung the moon and the stars in the sky. Or promised her a lifetime of free Ramen.

When they look back to Kakashi he has the most unimpressed look on his face. He sighs heavily, runs a hand through his hair before he's leaning back on the arm chair, utterly at ease like he's spent his entire life sitting there.

"You know what? You two could sort that out yourselves. Let's get back to planning," Kakashi decides, smiling at them like they're too stupid to get it.

Sasuke kind of wants to poke his non-Uchiha eye out.

"So what are your long term goals?" Kakashi decides to ask, picking up the teacup and looking at it contemplatingly.

"Save the world?" Naruto offers and Kakashi gives her a flat look that makes her grin. "We'll have to take down Akatsuki, unite the bijuu and make the world understand peace, dattebayo!"

"That's, more of a general wish list," Sasuke adds in. "A bit less long term, we'll need to kill Orochimaru, Neutralize the Akatsuki, Subdue Obito and.. bring Itachi home." The last one he adds quietly. There's a part of him that doesn't want to voice the wish, least he be jinxed.

"We'll need to stop Orochimaru in the chunin exams. It's our best bet of catching him cause we know where he'll be and what he'd be after," Naruto said, eyes sharpening. "Ideally, I'd be able to tell Jiraiya the truth and get Kurama's key from him. We'd be able to meet Itachi soon after that." Naruto looks at him, and he nods reasuringly.

"I'll handle my brother. You'll have to deal with his partner," Sasuke said and Naruto nods in agreement. "We could actively hunt for the rest of them, as soon as Tsunade's back in place?" He decides to suggest.

"You don't plan to tell the third?" Kakashi asked and Sasuke glares venomously in response. It's only Naruto's hand on his shoulder that stops him from literally spitting fire.

"There are some things that..., stops us from trusting jiji," Naruto said sadly and Sasuke bites back the more violent curses he has for the third. He may hate the man but there was still a time in Naruto's life that the kage was all she had.

Her thumb starts rubbing soothing circles on his shoulder and he released a breath he didn't even realize he was holding in. "We will be protecting Jiji, to the best of our ability of course, but we'd be asking ero-sennin to convince him to retire after the chunin exams in favor of Tsunade baa-chan, who we'd also be talking to."

"I'd rather trust a Senju, than a weak willed coward," Sasuke said coldly. Naruto sighs and shifts closer, leaning entirely against him to try and calm him down. It works, of course. He doesn't know why or how but he feels the burning fury recede to a more manageable simmer as he leans back against her. "With Tsunade in charge, she won't let the council order her around. She'd be able to purge Root and clean up the mess Hiruzen Sarutobi left behind. She should be perfectly amicable to letting us hunt down Akatsuki, preferably with Jiraiya, Itachi and you sensei." 

"Well, assuming we get to top shape by then," Naruto admits with a sigh. "You've plateued sensei, and Sasuke and I have regressed. Hopefully, between the three of us, we could climb up to S rank soon."

"I've, plateued huh?" Kakashi asked, deep in thought.

"You could be high S-rank. You've fallen since you quit Anbu. Fucking Momochi-Zabuza got the better of you," Sasuke said flatly and the Jounin's eyes tighten but doesn't refute the statement. "We could train together."

"And your other teammate?" He raises an eyebrow and Sasuke huffs.

"She'll be great some day. Tsunade-baa-chan would take her up as apprentice," Naruto explained. "Meanwhile it won't hurt to start her on strength and endurance training. Maybe expand her chakra reserves a bit." 

"Maa, alright. It's time to see if Sensei still has something left to teach you," Kakashi said with a cheery smile that makes a chill run down Sasuke's spine. He wonder's if maybe he should have phrased things a bit better when he tried to explain Kakashi's current power levels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry for the late upload guys. Kind of a hectic week and a half. It was my Sister's birthday and I had to set up stuff for her.
> 
> Anyways! Kakashi finally knows!
> 
> I didn't... Bother writing Naruto's recap of their past. I really don't want to summarize cannon. Specially when you guys know what happened.


	6. Family

Sasuke _hurt._

His every breath was raged, and his limbs have gone so far past the point of 'pain,' that it doesn't even register that he has limbs anymore. Worse of all, his chakra pool had been so depleted that he was edging towards legitimate chakra exhaustion. He was battered, bruised, cut up and so thoroughly exhausted, and he loved every minute of it.

It wasn't just him either. Kakashi was propped up against one of his larger summons, "Bull," Naruto had called it earlier, and was panting just as harshly. His hitaiate was pulled up but his sharinggan eye was closed and his other was was half lidded and somewhat unfocused. He was looking paler, which meant his chakra reserves would be just as flushed as Sasuke's and they both looked just as bruised and cut up in the morning. He could see their teacher's hands twitching, probably from channeling too much raiton chakra.

The least worn out one was Naruto, which was to be expected even when she had probably taken twice the beating. She just, healed through most damage they've dealt her even before they've had the time to properly bruise. Sasuke knows by morning she'd be fresh as a daisy, if mildly sore. Unlike him and Kakashi. She'd probably be whining when they focus on more chakra control exercises and elemental manipulation tomorrow, but she'll have to make do. Not all of them have raging balls of fluff and chakra trapped in their bellies after all.

They've been at this for the entire week. They spend mornings doing D-ranks before they spend the afternoons on "team training," which was glorified warm up for them and the beginnings of strength and endurance training for Sakura.

This time though, Kakashi actually joined them on their training. He would go along with them when they stretched, and jogged before he lead them through basic katas. Then they'd send an exhausted Sakura home before the three of them proceed to beat each other up in the name of surpassing limitations or methodically drain their chakra as thoroughly as possible to promote growth.

Sasuke is, pleased with the progress. He has gotten leagues faster, just having to keep up with Kakashi in his barely trained genin body. What Naruto lacked in physical grace and muscle memory at this time, she more than made up for with sheer tenacity. She would just keep getting up, over and over again.

For the two of them who were more assassin types, she proved the perfect opponent with her durability. They would always tire faster than her. But they were both leagues faster and dealt more damage. At least for now.

And that's just taijutsu too.

And while Kakashi took an inordinate amount of pleasure in running them to the ground, even when it takes just as much out of him, he doesn't just do that. He teaches them in the art all of them would doubtlessly excell in, with Sasuke's eyes and precision and Naruto's sheer chakra volume. What better man to teach them ninjutsu after all, than the man with a thousand he could pass on.

The last time, Kakashi hadn't known what to do with them. He had been given three children that weren't really stable enough to be ninja. He had every right to withhold teaching them more dangerous skills when they weren't in a capacity to use them responsibly.

Naruto had the raw power, true, but at that age she had been reckless. She would have gotten allies and maybe even herself hurt just to show off. Well meaning and enthusiastic but careless and short sighted. Sakura literally couldn't have preformed anything Kakashi could teach her. Even to the end, Sakura had never been the chakra powerhouse her teammates had been. And Sasuke back then? He knew he was a flight risk. A very obvious one whose only goal was to kill his brother regardless of who came in between and what it would cost.

Except, this time, he seems to have deem them capable. It's something that still makes him preen, when he thinks of it. Something that puts that determined, glossy smile on Naruto's face. This Kakashi was more of a teacher than the first one had been, but that wasn't his fault. It was just that at that time, Sasuke hadn't been ready to be students. None of them had.

"Stay over for dinner tonight, sensei," he finally offers. He has never called him that before, in their past life. Has never honored him with the title, and judging by the softness in Naruto's eyes she understands.

"We can get you miso soup with eggplant," Naruto offered with a blind grin and Kakashi looks bemused at the lack of subtely. "We could also look away so you'd have time to eat, dattebayo." That time, her voice is softer. There is understanding there, and Sasuke finds himself nodding because they all have their quirks and he's old enough to respect that now. Or at least respect Kakashi's.

"Maa, how can I say no to that?" Together, the three of them limp towards the Uchiha district in a peaceful quiet. Sasuke finds he likes it. Next time, they'll have to bring Sakura over to dinner too.

\--------------

They walk into the mission assignment desk with Tora contentedly purring in Sakura's arms. Sasuke wonders how many times they've caught the cat by now, when he sees Naruto stiffen. He follows his line of sight, and understands why. Sighing, he turns to look at their sensei who was also on high alert, looking at Naruto and him. He gives a small nod, hoping he'd go along with it.

"Jiji, I think we're ready for a c-rank," Naruto said confidently, walking up to the desk while Sakura hands over the cat to the daimyo's wife. The pinkette startles at the request, looking questioningly at the rest of her team and not for the first time, Sasuke wonders how easy this all would have been if they still had Sakura when they came back.

_Except Sakura was dead. And he could have saved her if he had been there for them earlier. If he hadn't been so lost in his anger._

"What do you think, Kakashi?" the third Hokage asked, and Sasuke prays he goes with it.

"I think my team has performed admirably the past two weeks Hokage-sama, and could do with the experience," Kakashi said and Sasuke realizes he isn't even lying. They had finished their D-ranks diligently this time around. No rivalry-driven shinenigans. Just a need to get it out of the way as quickly as possible to get back to training. And he's sure people have noticed the amount of chakra they'd been throwing around in their designated training grounds, even if no one exactly knows what's going on. They must know that team seven had been training regularly.

"Very well," the third hokage said and soon enough Tazuna was being brought in. When he meets Kakashi's eyes, there's an unspoken request there that he nods to. They will need to talk to their sensei before they leave anyways. He needs to get a heads up.

"Alright team, pack for a month long trip. Meet up at the gates in two hours. Dismissed." Kakashi nods at them, looking at them one by one before disappearing in a whirl of leaves.

"Sakura-chan, would you like some storage scrolls?" Naruto offers before the pinkette could leave and she looks at her with less anger than when the week started. It seems like seeing how far behind she was physically had done something to her and she had taken to their training sessions with less of the previous whining and more of the steady determination they knew she had. Sasuke still doesn't know what to do with her most days, but he sees Naruto offering an olive branch now. He is content to follow her lead.

"She actually knows what she's doing," he decides to affirm, because faulty fuuinjutsu was dangerous and their teammate needed to know that the items could be trusted. He firmly ignores Naruto's affronted "hey!"

"I.. Alright," she accepts quietly and Sasuke's heart softens at the genuine joy on Naruto's eyes and the hesitant smile Sakura offers them. Naruto then proceeds to pull out 3 storage scrolls and starts listing off weight and capacity specifications. "Thanky you." Sakura is still as quiet as she said this, looking deep in thought, before she turns and leaves. 

"Need anything at your place? " Sasuke asked. They will need his living room space to pack and Naruto hums in thought.

"I'll have to pick up clothing and some of my premade storage scrolls, dattebayo." she decided. "Let's just drop by real quick before heading over to your place."

"You know this would be easier if you just moved in," Sasuke offered on whim as they took to the rooftops.

"Why didn't we think of that before?," Naruto asked with a grin. "I'll move in with you when we get back home, dattebayo! We'll have one, long, permanent sleepover."

"The term's living together, dobe," Sasuke smiled back just as fondly.

\------------

Kakashi arrives only forty-five minutes after they left the Kage tower, looking alert and on edge. They're still sorting through who carries which part of their luggage at this point and Sasuke saw the man pause when he sees their living room. Which is probably fair.

They still have a lot of time left to pack, and Naruto has just finished laying out what she thinks they'll be needing while Sasuke's cooking enough food for their team and client for at least that night. No need to start living off of rations and wild game so soon when they could still have a good home cooked meal in the evening.

Their teacher was still surveying their _their_ living room that looked equal parts armoury, grocery store and library at that point. There are weapons to one side, sorted by variant before each type is separated into two neat piles, along with ninja wire, fishing hooks and standard hunting knives. There are also some whetstones and oil for maintenance. There are several bags of grain, dried meat, dried herbs, salt and food to one other side. Things that wouldn't go stale in a seal, along with a large, heavy pot and a laddle. Another pile consists of pills, bandages, dried medicinal plants, antiseptic and various creams and ointments. Another pile has two tents, extra canvas, blankets, sleeping bags and matches. The last pile to one side had the sealing scrolls and several premade seals that couldn't be stored into the scrolls, papers, ink and Sasuke's art supplies.

"Sensei!" Naruto greets from where she's seated in the middle of their hoard, planning for everything short of the ten tails it would seem.

"Alright, you two are obviously prepared, tell me what's going on," Kakashi said, sitting down to join her. Their jounin sensei apparently had nothing better to do than help with sharpening kunai and Naruto gladly makes room for him. It makes Sasuke feel warm.

Naruto starts talking about wave. She starts talking about their people and Haku because of course she's made friends with Zabuza's apprentice and is probably the only reason he didn't actually kill Sasuke, not that he'd known all these years. Naruto possibly didn't realize it too.

Still she talks about them and somehow manages to give a story instead of a mission report. She talks about the people she met and the 'poor children,' and Sasuke kind of sees why she's the Hokage, as woefully unfitting as she was when it came to politics.

Where Sasuke saw variables and probabilities, Naruto saw people and hope. She's the one who looks out the window, over the sprawling streets and lush forests of Konoha and saw shinobi instead of resources.

"And we did all of this before, with you three as actual gennin?" Kakashi asked dubiously and Sasuke gets it. Because looking back, he'd wanted to shake that Kakashi and ask what the fuck he'd been thinking many times.

"You didn't expect Gatou to hire someone on Zabuza's level," Sasuke explained as he finished packing bento, walking over and presenting it to Kakashi who gives an appreciative nod back. "And even then you thought you could take him."

"I got over confident," Kakashi admitted grimly.

"You did," Sasuke replied, not bothering to mince words. "But it's fine. We didn't die then, and we'll definitely do better this time." He might not be as awe isnpiring as Naruto, but he's telling the cold hard truth and they all know that.

"I let you join the chunin exam too soon. I got you stollen by a snake," Kakashi said lowly and Sasuke realizes he isn't the only one with grief about the future that was not. Even if Kakashi was just given secondhand recounts of his perceived failures. He had forgotten the man's predisposition towards self blame and owing up to other people's mistakes.

"I think you wanted us to start taking being a shinobi more seriously," Naruto admitted then and she leans into their teacher because she's the tactile one. Surprisingly, Kakashi leans back and Sasuke remembers that the man's from a wolf clan. How lonely had their teacher been, with all the pack he had lost over the years? "And you couldn't have anticipated a sannin, sensei."

The man just pats Naruto's hair, before he gets started on sealing away their medical supplies. Sasuke sighs, joining them on the floor and starts packing up rations. He makes conscious effort to let his arm brush the other man's from time to time, as hard as it was for someone like him.

Unbidden, he thinks of Sakura. The Sakura they had lost, long before they've left their world behind. She should be there, with them. She would be the one hitting their heads for moping, when the world out there was bright and waiting. She would be the one talking logic to her team and punching the lessons in to make it stick.

"It hasn't happened yet," he spoke up, hoping his voice isn't coming out as heavy as his throat feels. "And we won't let it." There is a promise there, cold and sure as he is, and he realized he's gotten attached to this Kakashi too. This pale man who wasn't too broken yet. Who hasn't been left behind by students he thinks he failed before learning that he drove his Obito mad. He doesn't want to see this Kakashi's eyes as dead as theirs had been.

He looks at Sasuke with soft eyes and he could see the sad smile tucked away inside his mask. Sasuke pressed his shoulder against the jounin very deliberately, a much visible smile on his lips. 

It was time he started learning how to take care of family too. Naruto can't be the only one doing the caring after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weekly update!!! Yosh! This one is relatively on time!
> 
> I wrote a bit more about their past Sakura. And a bit more about team bonding with Kakashi. A lot of fluff and a lot of training because they need it.
> 
> I didn't want to take the easy way out when writing this. No bringing their chakra back with them. They'll have to gain strength the hard way which is why they haven't gone rogue and killed off Akatsuki yet.
> 
> What'd you guys think anyways?


	7. Nurture

Sasuke sees the puddle in the distance, and weighs his options. Before, Kakashi let the demon brothers through, just to see who they'd target. They don't necessarily need to now, however. They know exactly who the nuke nin were after and it was easier to stop a fight before it had even begun than risk things going differently and get the client, or worse, his teammates injured.

He doesn't know when he's started thinking lile that. He doesn't know when Naruto's words have finally gone through to him. While hed stopped just thinking of himself a long time a go, a huge part of his motivation when it came to interacting with other people was her. Being nice to people she considered her's. Being polite to villagers because doing anything otherwise would disappoint her.

It all started just because of her. For her. Except now, he finds himself looking after his team too.

It's not much. It's not the all consuming compassion the blonde has, but he could relieve a thousand lifetimes and he knows he'd never have that. That's something entirely Naruto.

He isn't nice, the way she is. Kind and optimistic without asking for much in return. He isn't that, but he's a possessive bastard and only now does he realize that he's started seeing this Kakashi and this Sakura as his too. People to protect. People who would have his back without question.

Family.

He doesn't have much in the way of family. What little is left of his blood relatives are either insane, dying or both. People they'd have to retrieve, _to save, because apparently Naruto has changed him that much,_ but he has a long way to go before he gets there.

For now he has his team to look after.

Sighing, he shares a glance with Kakashi and Naruto. Casually, he steps over the puddle as they come across, and drops a chidori nagashi into the puddle, electrifying two chunin.

It's a testament to her improvement, that this Sakura doesn't shriek. She moves with Naruto, standing on either side of Tazuna while Kakashi jumps behind the demon brothers and incapacitates them with ease.

"Naruto," Kakashi turns to the blonde whose already digging through one of her pouches. She pulls out two prison scrolls and makes short work of the chunin.

"Alright, Tazuna, tell us about Gato," Kakashi asked without much preamble, giving a close eyed smile.

Tazuna gives the same sob story after he gets over the shock. It's a rather pitiful attempt at emotional manipulation, if Sasuke was to be honest but he says nothing. Judging by Kakashi's look, he's just as unimpressed.

Sakura eats it up of course. She's civilian born and still so very innocent to the dark underbelly that was their world.

Naruto knows what's going on. Naruto expects it. She's heard the exact same story before. She's old enough to understand the Tazuna's amateur attempts at guilt tripping their team. So of course she still tears up and promises to help. 

She's so adorable.

"Maa, guess we have no other choice than to go then," Kakashi said dryly. Sasuke hums in exasperated agreement but she beams at them as thanks so he thinks it's worth it.

\----------------------

Sasuke was relieved that they had Kakashi push them the past week. It had gained them enough of an edge to react. Naruto quickly makes two clones to back Sakura up and maintain a perimeter around Tazuna. Her fingers flow between handseals and she breathes out a grand breakthrough that pushes away the occluding mist. It reveals Zabuza coming at them with a sword, interrupted by Kakashi.

It melts into water, just as before, and Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi again, only for their teacher to erupt into a mess of screaming lightning that fries the missing nin.

It's a testament to Zabuza's abilities, that he grits his teeth through the storm, and still swings his arm around to cleave Kakashi in half. It also erupts into lightning and this time Zabuza goes down. The clearing is filled with the sound of birds shrieking, but they're interrupted by two needles flying in and burying themselves in the nuke nin's neck.

"That's rude," Sasuke speaks up when the accomplice glides into the clearing.

"Apologies," the other said gently, before he swept Zabuza away.

"I see you didn't bother playing around, sensei," Naruto noted with a smile. "Were you hurt?"

"Nothing some rest wouldn't cure, Naruto-chan," he replied, placing a hand on the top of her head.

Sasuke gives a hum as he tries to discreetly scan his teacher for injuries. Kakashi has the unpleasant habit of hiding his injuries after all. Judging by Naruto's beaming smile, he probability isn't as successful at hiding it than he thinks. Kakashi eye smiles at him too.

He fights the urge to blush. Or glare. Or maybe poke his tongue out.

\-------

They walk through Wave and get a first hand experience of what Gato has done to the country. They see shabby clothes and haphazardly repaired buildings. They see near empty markets. Everywhere they looked, people were pale and gaunt, sunken eyes shifty and postures tense.

Naruto has this grim look on her face. One that understands because she has been through hunger. Her hands clench at her sides and Sasuke reaches out a hand to hold hers.

She squeezed his hands in thanks.

When they make it to Tazuna's house, his daughter welcomes them with a relieved greeting. Then Naruto takes over to their surprise.

"Tsunami-san, Tazuna-san, my team and I have actually anticipated the situation here in wave," Naruto admitted as they sit around the table. "Not only have we brought rice to cover the duration of our team's stay with your house, we would also like your recommendations on who would need the most help in Wave. We have excess rations we could share, to help ease the strain the economy wrought to the worst of your people."

Tsunami has tears of relief in her eyes, and Tazuna looked pleasantly stunned." If you could bring it up to your Daimyo, when the bridge is done.., you could send a petition for help from the Fire Daimyo. It could foster a long term alliance that would ensure you're under Konoha's protection and allow Hi no Kuni to aid you."

Sasuke is impressed by how she suggested an alliance. How she sold it entirely in their favor while effectively securing any and all missions from Wave for Konoha in the near future. The gleam in Kakashi's eyes say he's caught it too. He isn't even sure if she does it on purpose or if she genuinely wants to extend protection to the small country.

"We'll have to talk to the others, to get the petition written up, shinobi-san. And, I'll come up with the list of people who would need help most this night. Thank you," Tsunami said softly.

Sasuke resists the urge to hug Naruto. That will have to wait for later when they aren't in front of strangers. She's grown so well, away from him and he knows that peripherally. But some moments, it just hits him and he's in awe.

Naruto is a hero. Someone who would fight for her people, then help them through the aftermath.

After an emotional dinner, they're shown a guest room for them to stay in. Naruto spends the next hour laying out intruder seals on the windows  
and alarm wards on the doorknob to sense if someone would touch it.

Sasuke was busy summoning their bedrolls out from some of Naruto's storage scrolls. The room had two beds they've surrendered to Kakashi and Sakura while the two of them laid out on the floor, relatively side by side.

Kakashi was in the bathroom while a bathed Sakura sat on her bed in dazed silence. It takes her a while, Sasuke notes she's gathering her thoughts, but by the time Naruto's done and Kakashi's out of the bathroom she speaks up.

"You were amazing out there, Naruto," Sakura said tentatively. "How did you know what to do? How did you think ahead enough to bring supplies to give away, and ask them to make a petition?"

"I became a shinobi to protect my precious. It took a while for me to realize that. If we don't fight to protect, then we shouldn't fight at all," she shared with a smile. Sakura looks at her with wide eyes. Like she's never even thought about why they fight.

"Much later I realized, that if you could talk to people, you sometimes don't even need to fight.." here her smile turned wistful. Sasuke wonders which one of her many enemies turned friends does she remember. He's one of those after all. "And then, much much later, I learn that sometimes, simply defeating the enemies aren't enough. Just because the battle has ended doesn't mean everything's going to be okay. It will take time, care and help till everyone's back at their feet and that's just as important."

"Your father would be proud of you," Kakashi said gently, smiling.

"I hope so," Naruto said, blushing and looking down on her lap. To this day it still amazed Sasuke, that behind all her bluster she's still so insecure. He doesn't understand how she's the only one who never noticed how great she is.

"Maa, take it from me, Naruto," Kakashi said with a smile. "As your father's student, I have every right to tell you, that Minato-sensei and Kushina-san would be so proud of you." He beams, like he hasn't let slip Naruto's parentage to Sakura.

Sakura who looks first at Kakashi with wide eyes, then at Naruto with wider ones. Sasuke sees her green orbs flick towards the blonde's hair, then her eyes then the scars on her cheek.

"Oh my god," she said faintly.

"Sensei!!! You can't just let S-rank secrets slip! Hokage-sama could punish you for that!" Naruto protested, cheeks flushed.

"Sakura deserved to know." He shrugged.

"Wait so Sasuke already knew?" Sakura asked, expression hurt.

"It was kinda obvious," Sasuke shrugged which was true enough. "Sensei didn't tell me. Neither did Naruto." He reassured and the pinkette nodded. It was true too. He found out from the fourth himself after all.

"I'll keep it secret, Naruto-chan!" Sakura said, eyes ablaze with promise. "You can count on me."

"Thank you." Naruto smiles just as brightly, and Kakashi ruffles both of their hair.

Sasuke fights a smile, at how well everything is going on. They still have a long way ahead of them. The future is waiting, but he's with his team in a way he has never allowed himself to before.

The urge to leave, to get stronger by himself and get things done faster, it doesn't come. They're behind on their kill list, but it's fine. They have time, and he has Naruto by his side. He's allowed to lean back a little. The world can wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while to edit this one. I kept tweaking it....
> 
> I'm still not that satisfied but... Eh. I give up. This is it. Next chapter would be much much better though. Sooo it'll be something to look forward to!


	8. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Early update!!!

Sasuke has gotten rather familiar with the feeling of worry coiling deep in his gut at this point. He's had several years of watching over Naruto, in another life, to get used to it.

Repeat exposure never makes it easier.

The all too familiar pool of anxiety is there when dawn comes and Naruto is still gone. When she's yet to return by his side. He knows what that means.

"It's time," Kakashi nods at him solemnly. Beside him, Sakura's standing nervously, looking pale but determined. Her hair is tied up in a bun, weapons pouches in place as she stood alert.

"We have two, maybe three hours," Sasuke said. It's the perfect time, with Haku out gathering herbs and Naruto distracting him, and Zabuza recovering, Gatou's base would be defenseless. He wouldn't have much more than his army of mercenaries and thugs that any genin could dispose of, given they aren't overwhelmed.

Between two somewhat S-ranked shinobi, this would be easy enough.

"Sakura, make sure Tazuna doesn't leave until Naruto's back," Kakashi repeated last night's instructions just to be clear. Sasuke noted Sakura's eyes tightening as she gives a nod. "Naruto would accompany him and you're to guard Tsunami."

"Hai sensei!" She nodded again, firm.

"Alright, we're off to hunt," Sasuke said, walking towards the door. He stops by Sakura, and carefully puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Be careful. Both of you," she said. 

\--------

Sasuke looks impassively at the blood on the soles of his feet.

He barely felt anything. 

There was once a time, when Orochimaru called him weak because he was so reluctant to kill. It wasn't that he was reluctant. That he was unable. His brother, for all his good intentions, had made sure of that.

He had obsessed over murder. Had dreamt of blood for as long as he could remember. By the time he made gennin, there wasn't much you could do that would make him flinch.

His reluctance came from the one person who held him back. From a bright sunny smile and wide, sky blue eyes. He didn't want her to see him become a monster. He wanted to kill her first, to gain his brother's cursed eyes and spare her from the pain of seeing Sasuke fall. Spare her from the pain of knowing she had failed.

Sasuke never did get around to doing that. Neither of them went along with his plans. Itachi was all too willing to die by his hand and Naruto had still been there, chasing after him despite the monster he had become.

And as war went on, when he finally settled by her side, fighting with her, for her, he realized he would always be a monster. A part of him had died that night, all those years ago with his clan, but maybe with Naruto it's fine. He would never flinch at the sight of blood. Would never hesitate to strike anyone down outside of Naruto. But that's okay.

She would never turn away from him.

He barely paid attention to how the puddle of blood splashed as he landed a heavy footstep on it. He was too busy leaping, chokuto at the ready. Adrenaline spurs him to move as fast as he could, swiveling to catch the blade aimed at Kakashi's blind side. He redirects the strike, kicks the mercenary away before following after, stabbing him through the neck.

An all too familiar feeling swirls in his gut but he pushed aside the surprise because now is not the time. He grits his teeth, annoyed by how winded he already is, bringing down two more of the mercenaries in front of him, standing back to back with Kakashi.

He still isn't used to feeling this protective of people outside of Naruto.

\-------

It doesn't get any less weird, the instinct to check over each and every member of his team when they finally meet up at the bridge.

They negotiated Zabuza's pay with him and his apprentice, at Naruto's request. They then proceeded to clean up Gatou's mansion, taking everything of value.

They kept their share of an actual A-rank pay, and upon meeting up, Naruto decided to give the rest to Tsunami to facilitate the rehabilitation and restoration of wave.

About two months later, everyone in Wave gathered to watch the opening of the bridge. Naruto stood between the bridge and the people of wave, hands alight with chakra.

Sasuke's leaning against a tree far away enough from the masses, on a small hill with a clear vantage point of rhe gathering. Sakura was up front, among the throng, still civilian enough ti be comfortable with having strangers gathered around her while Kakashi's by Naruto, keeping a closer watch of the blonde. He smiled as she kept hyping up the crowd, raising a glowing, chakra coated hand.

"I declare, the great Uzumaki bridge, open!" She finally yelled after a few minutes of grandstanding, striking the bridge with her glowing hand. The crowd went wild as the black ink running down the entire length of the bridge, painstakingly laid by the blonde the last two nights, glowed blue. They shone a bright white before they vanished into the wood.

"That bridge could probably withstand a bijuu at this point," Kakashi said from behind, probably trying to shock him. Sasuke notes that he's moved up there just when Naruto was turning around to publicly thank their teacher.

"She won't forgive you for that," Sasuke noted.

"Maa, she has Wave eating out of her palms. She'll be fine," Kakashi said with a close eyed smile.

"Hn," he still turns to look at his teacher, scanning him for hidden injuries.

"I'm fine Sasuke," Kakashi said with a fond smile that he dutifully ignores. "I just want to get home soon."

He finds himself agreeing. He can't wait to return to the quiet of his house with the walking ball of sunshine he calls his best friend. 

\--------

"That's the last of it," Naruto said with a bright grin, rolling up the last scroll.

Around them was an empty apartment that she'd already ended the lease on. Tonight, she'd be going home with him.

Sasuke thinks about everything they already do together, and thinks of doing each and every one of those in a more permanent setting. He thinks of cooking with her. About lazy days off, side by side while she doodles her seals and he draws her. He thinks about waking up every morning with his arms around her and his scent all over his pillows.

At least for now, until she finds someone to settle down with.

The thought makes him feel cold all over. The idea of waking up one day without her. Of cooking alone in a quiet house. Of sitting by himself on the couch. Of waking up to an empty bed. To the cold and quiet. To screaming ghosts in the night.

"Teme?" Naruto snaps him out of his thoughts, and he wonders when she got so close. She's mere inches away from him like this, her brows scrunched up and her eyes betraying her worry.

She's always had her heart on her sleeve. Just there for anyone to see. Free for the taking.

Why does that bother him so much?

It's almost like...

He freezes, and the worry in her eyes intensify. He ignores it for now, because all of a sudden everything's clearer than before. He understands exactly what Kakashi meant, months before. Because somehow, without him realizing, he's become entirely dependent on this amazing woman before him. And somehow, she's just as dependent on him.

"Naruto, close your eyes." His voice is shaking almost as much as his usually steady fingers. It's a testament to how much she trusts him that she closed her eyes without question. That she would do whatever he would ask without question. It's exhilarating as much as it is humbling.

Naruto who is brighter than him. Better than him. Who is, without a doubt, stronger than him, in both power and heart. Who could stop him with a look and a few choice words as much as she could through sheer force, and she is willing to do ask he asks, just because it's Sasuke that's doing the asking.

Just because of that, he has to try.

"Sasuke? Is everything alri..." She never finished the question. Sasuke doesn't allow her to because his lips are on her.

It's chaste. A mere press of lips that conveys nothing and everything at the same time. A question and an offering, all in one breath. He hears the sharp intake of Naruto's breath but he's already pulling away before he could take more than what she's willing to give.

He tells himself she won't hate him. That she isn't the kind to ruin a friendship over something like this. That she isn't the kind to run. But it's so very hard to remember these things when she's tense and frozen, eyes wide in mute panic. Like any moment she'd flee and he'd never see her again.

"I'm..." This time it's his words cut off. The apology dies on his lips and he redirects his panicking thoughts into more productive matters. Like kissing back. Because Naruto finally snapped put of the daze, and she's kissing him properly, with the fervour she pours into anything she does that she thinks is worth doing.

Her tiny hands cling to the front of his shirt, like she's afraid he might leave any time and he winds his arms around her small, still much too small, form to pull her close. To tell her no, he isn't leaving. Never again. 

"I think I've been in love with you for a while now," Sasuke accidentally blurts out, dazed and worryingly lightheaded when she finally pulls back. He considers the embarrassment a fair trade for the warm laughter he gets in return. Gleeful and accepting, pleasant like sunshine on his skin.

To this day, Naruto's the only one who could make his otherwise clinical brain wax poetic. He's just been too stupid to notice till now.

"What made you realize now," she asked, eyes alight with mirth.

"You were moving in. With me. We'll be living together. I didn't want you to move out. Ever." He answered bluntly, and her smile shifts into something softer, her arms winding around his neck so she could press their foreheads together.

"You'll be stuck with me till you get tired, Sasuke," she assures him, almost teasing if not for the undercurrent of fear he finds there.

"Till never then," he answered, closing his eyes and breathing in.

She smells like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo here's the muuuuuuuch awaited confession scene. ^~^ I wanted to leave it hanging but I figured I'd be nice.
> 
> Alsoooo. Yeah. Sasuke. Itachi traumatized him. He didn't intend to but it doesn't change the fact that he kinda broke Sasuke. There are some things that break you in ways you can't recover from. You could work with it. Work around it. But it doesn't fully go away. Specially since he didn't seem to get any therapy after the massacre AND he was left in the compound with all his triggers growing up.
> 
> So yeah. High functioning sociopathy. He's detached in a way. And he doesn't get what's wrong with killing. Why it bothers people. But Naruto's his moral compass and he wont do things he knows she wouldn't like, not because he understands the whole "good vs bad" debate but because it would upset her.
> 
> That bond's slowly stretching to include the rest of his team too.


	9. Getting There

"I've nominated you for the chunnin exams," Kakashi informed them, timing it so Sakura was hungrily gulping down the red bean soup.

Sasuke allows his lips to twitch at the choking that follows.

Naruto's snickering as she passed table napkins to the spluttering pinkette, who's busy glaring at their smiling sensei. He takes advantage of the commotion to steal a bit of the blonde's tuna, who gives him the stink eye but otherwise allows him, still busy helping Sakura dab off most of the soup on her dress.

This is apparently a thing now. The four of them pile into his house, the one he shares with Naruto, after every day of practice. They train vigorously together, take missions together, fight together and after, they would share dinner together.

"How do you think would we fare," he asked their teacher, genuinely curious.

"You'd wipe the floor with them," Kakashi answered, eyes crinkling in a way Sasuke has come to associate with smirking. He still can't get how one eye could be so expressive. "All of you," he added, looking at both girls with a warmer expression.

"Well we did come a long way," Sakura said tentatively, wringing her hands on her lap.

"We'll watch each other's backs, win or lose, so there's nothing to worry about," Naruto said with an encouraging smile. She always knew what to say in moments like this.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed, this time steadier. "Yeah, we can do this. Together."

"I'll look forward to how well you'd perform," Kakashi said with pride. Like there's no other outcome to this, even when they're about to face a bijuu and a sannin.

"We'll need to train some more," Naruto said with a cheery grin that had everyone else deflating. Sasuke himself, could barely stop his right eye from twitching. No one could keep up with Naruto when she's pushing herself to train as much as she could.

He could just hear Sakura whimpher.

\-----

The first time around, he saw foreign shinobi he could test himself on. He saw potential opponents he could pick a fight with, without any of the potential hassle of being reprimanded if it were someone from Konoha.

This time, he's quite content to let his idiot take the lead.

"Foreign gennin invited to our village shouldn't really be picking fights with the children of Konoha. We could report you for that," Naruto said firmly, standing between the other two children and Gaara's siblings. "Especially since you're dangling the third's grandson."

The puppeteer quickly let the other kid go, and he was quick to run behind Naruto.

"Kankuro, you're an embarrassment to our village," just like that, the Ichibi jinchuriki appeared where he was a lifetime ago. Sasuke walks up to his... Well, his everything, his Naruto, in support.

"Wow, you really got a crappy seal huh," Naruto blurts out and Sasuke wants to slap his forehead because of course that's what she does. He sees the moment she decides to just roll with it and see what happens, and barely holds back a sigh. "Mine holds bijuu chakra better."

The female spluttered while the male she had been dealing with, Kankuro?, jumped back as if her presence burnt him. The ichibi jinchuriki's eyes narrowed.

"Is that really where you went," Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes, before thinking to hell with it. He's followed her through a war, he could go along with her plans to reveal village secrets to potential invaders. "Not every jinchuriki gets the chance to have three seal masters pouring over their seal."

"I'm an Uzumaki," Naruto said with a smirk that wouldn't look out of place on his face. He's rubbing off on her apparently. He isn't sure if he should be proud, flattered or horrified.

"What's your name?" the redhead asked. "Both of you."

"It's rude to ask for names, without introducing yourself," Sasuke said as he'd done before.

"Sabaku no Gaara," he growled.

"Uzumaki Naruto," she said with a grin. "Nine-tails jinchuriki, dattebayo." Her grin geows sharper and Sasuke could see her eyes flash red, teeth growing just a bit sharper. He wants to hit her for going that far just to prove a point. 

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said after, lips smirking just as sharply. "We'll see you in the chunnin exams."

\---------

"Are we really going to need all of that?? Now I feel under prepared," Sakura asked numbly, watching the amount of supplies Naruto had pulled out, surrounding her from where she's seated on the floor.

Kakashi's already there, seating beside her, sharpening kunai and leaning against her. Sasuke has never seen their teacher as unguarded as he is now, in this house with them.

Sasuke simply hums in response, turning back to his cooking. He's making enough stir fry to feed a small army, which means it's just enough to feed his team. Most of it is going to be in Naruto's stomach at the end of the night, considering how fast her metabolism is. 

He looked at them again, and sees that Sakura has joined them in packing, going for the medical supplies. She's already thinking of medical ninjutsu at this point. Apparently she thought all three of them were too careless when beating each other up during training.

He piles the stir fry high on a plate, and pulls the glazed salmon out of the oven. He's going on a quest to spoil Naruto. He's determined to introduce her to so much more than ramen. She hadn't been able to afford much as a child the first time around and Sasuke enjoys broadening her pallet and figuring out what she likes.

Kakashi's just as much of a heathen who lived off of take out and mission rations. Apparently for all his genius, he couldn't cook his way out of a paper bag. Or he couldn't be bothered learning which seemed more likely.

And given what he remembered of Sakura's soldier pills, and the fact that her favourite food comes ready made from a grocery store refrigerator... He isn't holding out much hope from that department too. 

No, he's going to be the one to introduce proper, edible food to his team.

"Dinner first, then we'll finish packing," he said flatly.

Naruto's quick to stand up, stretching and the rest of their team follow after. She looks over the table, inspecting stuff with Sakura while their teacher washed his hands.

He quickly grabbed Naruto's wrist before she could steal a bite from the fish, trying his best not to cave in from her pouting. "Wash your hands first. Like a civilized human being."

"Fine," she huffed, joining Sakura to wash hands while Kakashi set the table.

Sasuke allowed himself a small smile.

"You two really do act like a married couple," Sakura pointed out when they're finally seated around the table, eating. Sasuke waits just when Naruto's about to swallow some of the fish she stole from his plate before responding.

"Maybe some day," he agreed and smirked when Naruto choked. He still obligingly hands her water, but he just smiles when she glared at him.

"So you finally figured it out huh?" Kakashi asked with an amused grin. His plate has, of course been cleared and he'd given them the ok to look up. "I thought you'd end up married with kids and you'd still have no clue you were together."

"Wait, so you two weren't dating all this time??" Sakura asked with wide eyes.

"It was just after we got home from wave dattebayo," Naruto was scratching her cheek, face adorably red and Sasuke could feel his smirk softening. She really was endearing.

"You really are idiots," Sakura concluded.

"Hey!"

\--------

Sasuke wonders if he should side step. But a part of him reaaally wants to see how Naruto would react. Seeing as he's never been one for self restraint all this time, he gives in and lets Ino jump onto his back. He regrets it moments later when she lets out a truly god awful shriek that makes his ears ring.

"Sasuke-kuuun!!!" she squeals.

Sasuke's pleased to note the horrified look on Sakura'a face as she whispered to a fuming Naruto. "Was I really that bad? Oh my god." 

"You're amazing now Sakura-chan, don't worry about it," Naruto pats the pinkette's arm blandly, giving him a flat look that almost makes Sasuke gulp.

He's quick to dislodge Ino, unceremoniously dumping her on the ground and approaching Naruto like he would a wild animal.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs lowly, sliding into place by her left. He decides to ignore Sakura's blatant snickering and their Nara classmate's curious eyes.

"Hn," Sakura chokes and he couldn't even take joy in the fact because he's too busy trying not to let his jaw drop.

"Wow Sasuke, you're a horrible influence," Sakura notes with a detached sort of bewilderment. Like she can't process what's going on. He gets it too. He really is rubbing off on her. 

"Hey you losers are here too!" Kiba greets very loudly, cutting through the tension.

Naruto sighs before she looks at him, and offers a smile. He smiles back, eyes apologetic. "Play nice," she said and this time it's his turn to sigh. He still agrees to it though.

"You should really be quiet and stop drawing attention to yourselves." Just like that, the two of them freeze. They exchange sharp looks and Naruto casually shifts so Sakura's between them instead.

Sakura is quick to pick up on their distress and Sasuke could feel her stance getting lose. Light and ready to pounce at any minute.

They watched Kabuto introduce himself, and go over his information cards. Sasuke wanted to bash his head somewhere. Having that much information about foreign gennin should have sent alarm bells ringing the first time around. 

"Tell us about team 7," Shikamaru asked much to their surprise. 

"Team 7, lead by Hatake Kakashi, S-rank elite jounin, student of the fourth hokage. Mission count classified. Flee on sight on the bingo books.

Members. Haruno Sakura. Civilian born. Uchiha Sasuke, Last of the Uchiha clan. Uzumaki Naruto, last of the Uzumaki clan," he rattles off and Naruto's hackles raise. "Total number of team missions. 1 A-rank. 1 C-rank. 50 D-rank. 100% success rate." 

"Well some of that is classified information," Naruto notes, and Sasuke sees her eyes are somewhat red. He fights the urge to slap his forehead. She practically alerted their enemy.

"Gennin team mission counts are available for public viewing," Kabuto deflects.

"My clan information isn't common knowledge," she bit back.

"Yeah, what do you mean Naruto's from a clan?!" Ino shrieked back.

"Maggots shut up and pay attention before I throw you out." Just like that, Ibiki arrives and the tensions cut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels... Off? Idunno... My brain feels like it's been boiled and blended into a nice, syrupy consistency. I've gotten feverish which has sent everyone at home panicking.
> 
> I hope people still enjoyed reading it.
> 
> Stay safe out there peoples. Mkay?


End file.
